Circular No. 84/2025/TT-BNNMT detailing certain contents of the Forestry Law and amending and supplementing some Circulars in the forestry and forest protection sector.

CIRCULAR
Detailed regulations on certain contents of the Forestry Law
and amending and supplementing some Circulars in the forestry and forest protection sector

Pursuant to the Forestry Law No. 16/2017/QH14 which has been amended and supplemented by some articles through Law No. 16/2023/QH15, Law No. 31/2024/QH15, and Law No. 146/2025/QH15;

Pursuant to Decree No. 35/2025/NĐ-CP dated February 25, 2025 of the Government stipulating the functions, tasks, powers, and organizational structure of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development;

At the proposal of the Director of the Forest Management and Protection Department;

The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development issues this Circular detailing certain contents of the Forestry Law and amending and supplementing some Circulars in the forestry and forest protection sector.

PART I
GENERAL PROVISIONS

Article 1. Scope of Regulation

1. Details Article 21 on replanting forests, Article 44 on developing forestry planting seeds, Point g Clause 2 Article 101 on specifying the code number of planted forests of the Forestry Law No. 16/2017/QH14 which has been amended and supplemented by Law No. 16/2023/QH15, Law No. 31/2024/QH15, and Law No. 146/2025/QH15 (hereinafter referred to as the Forestry Law).

2. Amending and supplementing some Circulars:

a) Circular No. 29/2018/TT-BNNPTNT dated November 16, 2018 issued by the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development regarding forest management measures, which has been amended and supplemented by Circular No. 17/2022/TT-BNNPTNT dated October 27, 2022 issued by the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development amending and supplementing some articles of Circular No. 29/2018/TT-BNNPTNT and Circular No. 24/2024/TT-BNNPTNT dated December 12, 2024 issued by the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development amending and supplementing some articles of Circulars in the forestry sector;

b) Circular No. 20/2023/TT-BNNPTNT dated December 15, 2023 issued by the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development regarding methods for valuing forests; guiding the framework price of forests, which has been amended and supplemented by Circular No. 16/2025/TT-BNNMT dated June 19, 2025 issued by the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development regarding decentralization, classification, determination of state management authority and some contents in the forestry and forest protection sector;

c) Circular No. 05/2024/TT-BNNPTNT dated April 19, 2024 issued by the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development regarding economic-technical standards for forest surveys, which has been amended and supplemented by Circular No. 16/2025/TT-BNNMT dated June 19, 2025 issued by the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development regarding decentralization, classification, determination of state management authority and some contents in the forestry and forest protection sector;

d) Circular No. 11/2024/TT-BNNPTNT dated September 4, 2024 issued by the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development regarding economic-technical standards for forest inventories, monitoring forest changes, which has been amended and supplemented by Circular No. 16/2025/TT-BNNMT dated June 19, 2025 issued by the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development regarding decentralization, classification, determination of state management authority and some contents in the forestry and forest protection sector;

đ) Circular No. 26/2025/TT-BNNMT dated June 24, 2025 issued by the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development regarding forest product management; handling forest products and aquatic products that have established public ownership rights.

Article 2. Applicability

This Circular applies to state agencies and organizations, individuals, households, and community residents related to the forestry and forest protection sector.

Article 3. Explanation of Terms

In this Circular, the following terms are understood as follows:

1. Forestry planting trees are tree species, non-timber forest products trees, and other multi-purpose trees planted on special-use forests, protective forests, production forests, and scattered plantations.

2. Forestry planting seed varieties are populations with distinguishable characteristics from other forestry planting tree populations through at least one trait and passed genetically to subsequent generations; ensuring uniformity in morphology, stability across breeding cycles, and having cultivation value and usage value.

3. Original seed variety of forestry planting trees is the first generation seed variety derived from superior trees, initial-line trees of recognized varieties or restored varieties, including: seeds, tubers, roots, stems, branches, bud grafts, shoots, or tissue cultures, and seedlings used for propagation material.

4. Restored seed variety is a seed variety derived from reselected superior trees or initial-line trees from recognized varieties, applying technical measures to maintain and restore the original genetic traits of the original variety, addressing the issue of variety degeneration and reduced productivity and quality.

5. Main forestry planting tree species are widely planted forestry tree species with significant importance in economic development and environmental protection, requiring strict management.

6. Fast-growing tree species are tree species with average diameter growth reaching 2 cm/year or more, or average productivity in one business cycle reaching 15 m³/ha/year or more.

7. Slow-growing tree species are tree species with average diameter growth below 2 cm/year, or average productivity in one business cycle below 15 m³/HA/YEAR.

8. . Source of forestry planting tree seeds

9. Selected forest section is a place providing propagation materials, including: selected forest parts, converted seedling forests, planted seedling forests, seedling gardens, superior trees, initial-line trees, and initial-line tree gardens.

10. Converted seedling forest is a natural forest or planted forest selected without applying forest management techniques to improve seed quality and recognized by competent authorities to provide propagation materials.

11. Planted seedling forest Transformed seedling forest

12. Seedling garden is a natural forest or planted forest selected and subjected to forest management techniques as prescribed and recognized by competent authorities to provide propagation materials.

13. Superior tree is a tree selected from natural forests, planted forests, converted seedling forests, planted seedling forests, seedling gardens, or scattered plantings, with superior growth characteristics, morphology, yield, or quality, recognized by the competent authority to provide propagation materials.

14. of perennial industrial crops and fruit trees is a tree with higher productivity, quality, and resistance compared to other trees within the same variety population that has been selected and recognized for vegetative propagation (except for durian...). is a tree that has been evaluated and recognized by the competent authority from a population of a forestry crop variety, with stable genetic traits, growth, yield, and quality suitable for breeding objectives, without signs of pests or diseases, to provide vegetative propagation materials.

15. Clonal garden is a garden planted with vegetatively propagated trees from parent trees or cloned from original varieties, recognized by the competent authority to provide materials for producing vegetative propagation.

16. Trial Planting is the activity of planting, monitoring, and evaluating the yield, quality, pest and disease resistance, or other adverse conditions of trial planted varieties.

17. Propagation Materials for Forestry Crop Plants is a plant or part of a plant capable of developing into a complete plant, used for propagation or planting.

18. Variety Testing of Forestry Crop Plants is the activity of monitoring, evaluating, and comparing indicators to determine the distinctiveness, uniformity, stability, agronomic value, and utility of forestry crop varieties using a specific method.

19. Origin Testing of Forestry Crop Varieties is the activity of monitoring, evaluating, and comparing testing indicators of different origins of a species under certain site conditions to select origins with stability that meet production and usage requirements.

20. Post-Generation Testing of Forestry Crop Varieties is the activity of monitoring, evaluating, and comparing testing indicators of subsequent generations of superior trees that have been selected and evaluated to choose superior trees capable of transmitting desired traits to future generations.

21. Clonal Line Testing of Forestry Crop Varieties is the activity of monitoring, evaluating, and comparing testing indicators of clonal lines compared to existing varieties or widely planted varieties in the locality to select clonal lines with stability that meet production and usage requirements.

22.Distinctiveness of Forestry Crop Varieties is the ability to clearly distinguish that variety from other well-known forestry crop varieties.

23. Uniformity of Forestry Crop Varieties is the expression of similarity among forestry crop varieties in related traits, excluding deviations within permissible limits for specific traits during propagation.

24. Stability of Forestry Crop Varieties is the consistent expression of related traits as initially described, not changing after each propagation cycle.

25. In-Situ Genetic Resource Conservationis the form of conservation, maintenance, and management of genetic resources of forestry crop varieties directly in their natural habitat, within the natural distribution area of the species, to maintain genetic diversity, growth potential, regeneration capacity, and natural evolutionary processes.

26. Ex-Situ Genetic Resource Conservation is the preservation outside the natural distribution range, in gene banks (cold storage, cryogenic nitrogen environments, or appropriate preservation methods); in vitro preservation or in botanical gardens, plant collections, seedling forests, seedling gardens.

27. Planted Forest Code is the code assigned to a planted forest production area for tracing the origin of forest products.

Chapter II

MANAGEMENT OF FORESTRY CROP VARIETIES; REPLANTING; ISSUANCE AND MANAGEMENT OF PLANTED FOREST PRODUCTION CODES

Section 1

MANAGEMENT OF FORESTRY PLANTING SEEDS

Article 4. Principles for managing forestry crop seeds

1. Strict management along the entire chain for major forestry crop seeds, encouraging application to other forestry crop seeds, to ensure traceability and improve seed quality.

2. Organizations and individuals responsible for the quality of forestry crop seeds researched, selected, created, produced, and traded shall comply with the provisions of the law.

3. Encouraging the application of science and technology in researching, selecting, creating, producing, preserving forestry crop seeds, and related management activities.

4. Encouraging socialization of activities related to forestry crop seeds.

Article 5. Conservation of genetic resources; storage, production, supply, and rejuvenation of original forestry crop seeds

1. Investigation and collection of genetic resources of forestry crop seeds:

a) The Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, based on actual needs and conditions, commissions organizations and individuals with the appropriate capacity and suitable conditions to conduct investigations and collect genetic resources of forestry crop seeds;

b) Provincial People's Committees, based on actual needs and conditions, investigate and collect genetic resources of forestry crop seeds within their provincial jurisdictions;

c) Genetic resources of forestry crop seeds are collected in the form of seed, seedlings, cuttings, or other genetic materials, depending on the characteristics of each species;

d) Results of investigation and collection of genetic resources of forestry crop seeds must be documented and clearly describe information about location, time, type of sample, quantity, and method of collection.

2. Evaluation of genetic resources of forestry crop seeds:

a) The Ministry of Agriculture and Environment organizes evaluations of genetic resources of forestry crop seeds nationwide;

b) Provincial People's Committees organize evaluations of genetic resources of forestry crop seeds within their provincial jurisdictions;

c) Evaluation contents include: gene decoding; genetic diversity assessment; silvicultural and biological characteristics; utilization value.

3. Seed gene banks, including:

a) Seed bank: storing dry seeds at appropriate temperatures;

b) Tissue and cell bank: preserving buds, primary cells, embryos, and meristematic tissues in nutrient environments with suitable light and temperature conditions;

c) Pollen bank: preserving pollen using specialized techniques;

d) Field bank: conserving genetic material in the form of complete individuals in the field;

đ) National seed gene banks are established at public institutions and scientific and technological organizations under the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment; simultaneously, organizations and individuals implementing genetic resource conservation tasks proactively establish seed gene banks suitable for their needs and actual conditions.

4. Genetic resource data:

a) Genetic resource data is stored in various forms such as survey forms, description-evaluation forms, specimens, drawings, distribution maps, photographs, publications, and textual or digitized databases to serve genetic resource conservation work;

b) Established by organizations and individuals according to the provisions of Clauses 1, 2, and 3 of this Article;

c) Sharing of genetic resource data of forestry crop seeds is carried out in accordance with the provisions of the law;

đ) Public institutions and scientific and technological organizations assigned by the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment manage genetic resource data of forestry crop seeds nationwide; simultaneously, other organizations and individuals manage data for genetic resource conservation tasks they implement.

5. Storage of original forestry crop seeds:

a) Storage locations: original forestry crop seeds are stored at public institutions and scientific and technological organizations under the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment;

b) Original seed storage must maintain stable initial genetic traits without degeneration or mutation; there must be complete records and storage files, including information on seed origin, storage year, growth status, and results of regular inspections. Original seed preservation must be conducted at a minimum of two different storage locations, including seed sample storage rooms and field sites, to ensure safety and seed traceability;

c) Storage facilities must have a minimum planting area of 0.5 hectares per species or a minimum of 100 individuals per variety until the technological maturity stage or have seed storage rooms ensuring controlled temperature, humidity, and other technical parameters required for each type of seed; simultaneously, there must be technicians with university-level qualifications in forest genetics or forestry crop seeds.

6. Production, supply, and rejuvenation of original forestry crop seeds:

a) Production of original forestry crop seeds

Original forestry crop seed production is carried out by organizations and individuals meeting requirements for physical infrastructure, technical capacity, and professional expertise. Original seed production must follow technical procedures, and original seed lots must meet national standards for each type of seed.

Each original seed lot produced must have management files, including: origin of starting material; sowing date, number of plants, survival rate; inspection times and monitoring results as prescribed;

b) Supply of original forestry crop seeds is only carried out by breeding bases that fully comply with legal provisions on production and trade; each original seed lot supplied must come with origin files, including: species name, strain or variety, production year and place, and a label as prescribed; organizations and individuals supplying original seeds are legally responsible for the accuracy of the origin files and the quality testing results of the original seeds supplied;

c) Clonal propagation of original forestry tree planting varieties shall be carried out when the original variety shows signs of degeneration, manifested through poor growth, reduced yield, or a decline or change in basic genetic characteristics compared to its initial state. Clonal propagation of the original variety must be conducted by the organization or entity that created the variety or the entity that has been transferred the authorship rights, which must fully meet the conditions regarding material infrastructure, technical capacity, and professional expertise according to national standards on clonal propagation; the original variety after clonal propagation must ensure distinctness, uniformity, and stability (DUS), while the quality of the seed lot must comply with the requirements set forth in the national standards for each type of variety.

Article 6. Research, selection, creation, trial planting, recognition of forestry tree planting varieties and sources

1. Regulations on naming forestry tree planting varieties:

a) The name of forestry tree planting varieties shall not be accepted in the following cases: consisting solely of numbers; violating historical traditions, culture, ethics, and local customs; being identical in pronunciation or spelling to the names of leaders, national heroes, prominent figures, food products, beverages, pharmaceuticals; using the names of state agencies, people's armed forces units, political organizations, socio-political organizations, occupational socio-political organizations, social organizations, occupational social organizations as part of the name of the forestry tree planting variety, except where approved by relevant authorities or organizations; causing confusion about the characteristics or traits of the variety; causing confusion about the identity of the author; being identical to the name of a forestry tree planting variety already protected;

b) Organizations and individuals producing, trading, exporting, or importing forestry tree planting varieties and propagation materials must use the correct name of the forestry tree planting variety as determined in the decision recognizing the forestry tree planting variety issued by the competent authority;

c) When using the name of a forestry tree planting variety in conjunction with trademarks, trade names, or similar indicators of recognized forestry tree planting varieties for production and trading purposes, such names must be easily recognizable.

2. Research, selection, and creation of forestry tree planting varieties:

a) Research, selection, and creation of forestry tree planting varieties shall be carried out in accordance with current laws, prioritizing research and creation of main forestry tree planting varieties, precious and rare indigenous varieties;

b) Encouraging the development and application of high technology, advanced technology, and new technology in the selection, creation, propagation, and preservation of forestry tree planting varieties to adapt to climate change.

3. Testing of forestry tree planting varieties:

a) Testing of forestry tree planting varieties shall be conducted according to ecological regions; varieties tested in a particular ecological region may be considered for recognition and development in that region and other regions with similar ecological conditions.

Testing methods must comply with national standards; among them, DNA sequencing methods can be used to replace testing for distinctiveness to verify the accuracy of the variety. Prior to conducting tests on genetically modified forestry tree planting varieties, risk assessments must be performed in accordance with laws on biodiversity;

b) Testing facilities for forestry tree planting varieties must have a direct testing workforce with a minimum bachelor’s degree in forestry, crop science, or biology; they must also have appropriate locations, infrastructure, and equipment meeting national standards for testing forestry tree planting varieties;

c) The objects, methods, and contents of testing forestry tree planting varieties include: testing objects are domestic selected varieties and imported varieties tested for the first time, not included in the list of invasive alien species or having the potential to become invasive; testing methods are conducted according to national standards, including origin testing, progeny testing, and vegetative propagation testing; testing contents focus on evaluating distinctiveness, uniformity, stability, and assessing agronomic and utilization values according to national standards;

d) The evaluation period for testing results is as follows: for fast-growing species, it is 36 months; for slow-growing species, it is 72 months; for non-timber forest products, it is over two consecutive harvests, during which the produced goods must be stable in quantity and quality.

4. Trial planting of forestry tree planting varieties:

a) Objects, scale, and methods of trial planting of forestry tree planting varieties: trial planting objects are endemic varieties; varieties that have been recognized but planted in regions with different ecological conditions; imported varieties tested for the first time with high productivity, clear origin, and harvesting conditions similar to the trial planting area; the trial planting area ranges from 02 hectares to 10 hectares; trial planting methods are applied according to national standards, and if there are no national standards, then according to standard bases;

b) The evaluation period for trial planting results is stipulated in point d, Clause 3 of this Article.

5. Recognition of forestry tree planting varieties:

a) Criteria for recognizing forestry tree planting varieties:

The variety has been tested according to Clause 3 or has been trial planted according to Clause 4 of this Article;

The evaluation results of testing or trial planting must meet the national standards for recognized forestry tree planting varieties, having productivity and quality equivalent to or higher than those of recognized varieties of the same species or group of species grown in regions with similar ecological conditions;

b) Competence: The Director of the Forest Management Department and the Inspectorate decides on the recognition of forestry tree planting varieties;

c) Documents for requesting recognition of forestry tree planting varieties include:

The original document proposing the recognition of forestry tree planting varieties according to Model No. 01 in Appendix I attached to this Circular;

The original report on the results of testing or trial planting of forestry tree seedlings according to Model No. 02 Appendix I issued together with this Circular;

For imported seeds: attach documentation regarding yield, quality, and ecological conditions at the place of origin in the exporting country (a copy);

d) Procedure for implementation:

Organizations and individuals submit one set of application documents for recognition of forestry tree seedlings in accordance with point c of this clause to the Forest and Inspection Department through direct submission at a single window, via public postal service, or online at the National Public Service Portal;.

The Forest and Inspection Department shall check and accept the documents immediately if they are complete upon direct submission; check and accept within one working day for applications submitted via public postal service or online at the National Public Service Portal, and respond in writing with specific reasons if the documents are not valid;

Within fourteen working days from the date of receipt of valid documents, the Forest and Inspection Department shall establish an Appraisal Board, conduct field inspections, prepare minutes, organize the appraisal of the documents, and issue an appraisal report according to the national standard for forestry tree seedlings;

Within two working days from the completion of the appraisal report, the Director of the Forest and Inspection Department shall decide on the recognition of forestry tree seedlings according to Model No. 03 Appendix I and Section A Appendix II issued together with this Circular, deliver the result to the organization or individual, and publish it on the Forest and Inspection Department's electronic portal. In case of non-recognition, a written notification with specific reasons must be provided;

6. Revocation of recognition of forestry tree seedlings:

Cases for revoking recognition of forestry tree seedlings include degeneration, reduced yield or quality, or severe pest damage compared to the recognized national standard for seedlings; lack of propagation material for seedlings;

Within twenty working days from the date of discovery or receipt of feedback, the Forest and Inspection Department shall inspect, verify, and revoke the recognition of forestry tree seedlings according to Model No. 03 Appendix I and Section A Appendix II issued together with this Circular, and simultaneously publish it on the Forest and Inspection Department's electronic portal;

7. Recognition of sources of forestry tree seedlings:

a) Sources of forestry tree seedlings are recognized when they meet the requirements of the national standard for recognized sources of forestry tree seedlings; in cases where there is no national standard, the basic standard shall apply. Recognized sources of forestry tree seedlings include selected forest compartments, converted seedling forests, planted seedling forests, nurseries, mother tree gardens, superior trees providing materials for producing seedlings for afforestation, and mother trees supplying cuttings, grafts, and buds; recognition will not be granted for superior trees used for research, establishment of seedling forests, nurseries, or for rejuvenating seedlings;

b) Authority: The specialized agency under the Department of Agriculture and Environment decides on the recognition of sources of forestry tree seedlings;

c) Application documents for recognition of sources of forestry tree seedlings include:

The original application document for recognition of sources of forestry tree seedlings according to Model No. 04 Appendix I issued together with this Circular;

The original technical report on the source of forestry tree seedlings according to Model No. 05 Appendix I issued together with this Circular;

d) Procedure for implementation:

Organizations and individuals submit one set of application documents for recognition of sources of forestry tree seedlings in accordance with point c of this clause to the specialized agency under the Department of Agriculture and Environment through direct submission at a single window, via public postal service, or online at the National Public Service Portal;.

The specialized agency under the Department of Agriculture and Environment shall check and accept the documents immediately if they are complete upon direct submission; check and accept within one working day for applications submitted via public postal service or online at the National Public Service Portal, and respond in writing with specific reasons if the documents are not valid;

Within twelve working days from the date of receipt of valid documents, the specialized agency under the Department of Agriculture and Environment shall establish an Appraisal Board, organize the appraisal of the documents, conduct field inspections, prepare minutes, and issue an appraisal report according to the national standard;

Within two working days from the completion of the appraisal report, the head of the specialized agency under the Department of Agriculture and Environment shall decide on the recognition of the source of seedlings according to Model No. 06 Appendix I and Section B Appendix II issued together with this Circular, deliver the result, and publish it on the Department of Agriculture and Environment's electronic portal; in case of non-recognition, a written notification with specific reasons must be provided;

đ) Duration of recognition of sources of forestry tree seedlings: nursery: fifteen years; planted seedling forest: seven years; converted seedling forest, selected forest compartment: five years; mother tree garden providing cuttings of fast-growing species: three years; superior trees, mother trees, mother tree garden of slow-growing species and non-timber forest products: ten years;

8. Revocation of recognition of sources of forestry tree seedlings when the source of seedlings during its usage period degenerates, reduces yield or quality, and does not meet the requirements of the national standard for sources of seedlings;

Within twenty working days from the date of discovery or receipt of feedback about the cases stipulated in this clause, the specialized agency under the Department of Agriculture and Environment shall organize inspections, verify, and revoke the recognition of sources of forestry tree seedlings according to Model No. 06 Appendix I and Section B Appendix II issued together with this Circular, and publish it on the Department of Agriculture and Environment's electronic portal.

Article 7. Management of Quality, Production, and Business of Forestry Planting Seeds

1. The quality of forestry planting seeds shall be managed in accordance with the provisions of this Circular; laws on product and commodity quality, and based on national standards or enterprise standards.

2. For major forestry planting crops, only production and business of seed materials and seedlings propagated from recognized seeds and seed sources shall be permitted.

3. Criteria for the quality of major forestry planting seeds:

Seed lots used in producing major forestry planting seeds must be harvested from recognized seed sources that are still within their validity period and meet all quality indicators according to national standards for seeds.

Seedlings in tissue culture bottles must be produced from recognized seeds, fully meeting all quality indicators according to national standards for tissue culture seedlings.

Cuttings, grafts, and buds must be taken from recognized mother plants or superior trees that are still within their validity period and meet all quality indicators according to national standards for cuttings, grafts, and buds.

Seedling lots produced from tissue culture seedlings or from seeds, cuttings, grafts, and buds originating from recognized seed sources that are still within their validity period must also meet all quality indicators according to national standards for seedlings.

4. Seed Records:

Organizations and individuals engaged in the production and business of forestry planting seeds must establish and retain records; they are responsible under the law for the accuracy of the seed origin recorded in the records. Seed records must be retained in the following cases:

For seed lots: Form No. 07 Appendix I issued together with this Circular; a copy of the decision recognizing the seed source; sales invoice clearly stating the quantity of seeds and the seed source code.

For tissue culture seedlings: Form No. 08 Appendix I issued together with this Circular; a copy of the decision recognizing the seed or purchase contract for seeds; sales invoice clearly stating the number of tissue culture seedlings, name and seed code.

For cuttings, grafts, and buds: Form No. 09 Appendix I issued together with this Circular; a copy of the decision recognizing the seed source or purchase contract for propagation material; sales invoice clearly stating the quantity and seed source code.

For seedling lots: Form No. 10 Appendix I issued together with this Circular; documents proving the origin of propagation material.

For seeds not belonging to major forestry planting crops, there is no mandatory requirement for a recognition decision for seeds or seed sources, but they must still comply with the requirements and records as prescribed.

5. Labeling and Advertising of Forestry Planting Seeds shall be carried out in accordance with the law on product labeling and advertising law; the content of labels and advertisements must ensure truthfulness, accuracy, clarity, and not cause confusion about the species, variety, seed type, origin, quality, utility, and scope of use of forestry planting seeds; organizations and individuals implementing labeling and advertising are responsible under the law for the accuracy and legality of the content labeled and advertised.

6. Production, Business, and Use of Forestry Planting Seeds:

a) The production of forestry planting seeds shall be conducted by organizations and individuals who have registered business operations in accordance with the law; having or leasing locations, infrastructure, and equipment suitable to national standards for seed production methods, if there are no national standards, then applying enterprise standards; at the same time using propagation material from recognized seeds or seed sources for major forestry planting crops;

b) The business of forestry planting seeds shall be conducted by organizations and individuals who have registered business operations in accordance with the law; having legitimate trading locations; at the same time establishing and retaining complete records to trace the origin of seed lots, including: purchase and sale contracts, invoices, seed records and labels complying with regulations, information on used propagation material, announced standards, quantity and delivery times of seeds;

c) The production of forestry planting seeds shall be carried out using sexual and asexual propagation methods in accordance with national standards for seed production; if there are no national standards, then applying enterprise standards. In the case of producing seeds through tissue culture methods, the propagation material used must come from original seeds or rejuvenated seeds; original seeds or rejuvenated seeds after two years of use for propagation must be rejuvenated again according to national standards for rejuvenation of seeds.

7. Responsibilities of Organizations and Individuals Participating in the Production, Business, and Use of Forestry Planting Seeds:

a) Responsibilities of Organizations and Individuals Producing and Trading Forestry Planting Seeds:

Organizations and individuals must announce applicable standards for products produced and traded; bear responsibility for the quantity and quality of seeds announced; label seeds in accordance with regulations; report production and trading results when requested by competent state management agencies.

When selling, organizations and individuals must provide customers with documents as stipulated in Clause 4 of this Article; recover and handle seeds that do not meet quality requirements and compensate for losses in accordance with the law.

b) Responsibilities of Organizations and Individuals Using Forestry Planting Seeds: follow production procedures and usage instructions provided by the organizations and individuals supplying seeds or their guidance; promptly report incidents or adverse effects caused by seeds to the seed suppliers and local authorities for handling.

Article 8. List of main forest tree species and varieties

1. Criteria for selecting main forest tree species:

a) For special-purpose forest tree species: native species distributed within the special-use forest area for national parks, nature reserves, species and habitat conservation areas; native species or species naturally distributed outside the area but suitable to the planting site conditions for scenic protection zones, botanical gardens, scientific research forests;

b) For protective forest tree species: native species distributed within the corresponding ecological region; native species from other ecological regions but adaptable to local soil and climate; introduced species that have been planted for a long time and are compatible with the local ecosystem. Species are prioritized if they possess one or more of the following characteristics: multiple uses; dense evergreen canopy and developed root system; long-lived; wind and pest resistance; good growth and adaptation to harsh environmental and site conditions;

c) For production forest tree species: native or introduced species with high yield, quality, and economic value, meeting production and business purposes and suitable to the planting site conditions.

2. List of main forest tree species:

a) The list of main forest tree species is specified in Appendix III attached to this Circular.

The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development shall consider supplementing or removing species from the list of main forest tree species.

b) Based on the criteria stipulated in Clause 1 of this Article, the Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee shall consider issuing supplementary main forest tree species for planting in the locality outside the list specified in Appendix III attached to this Circular.

3. Main forest tree varieties:

a) Main forest tree varieties are those of the species listed in the list of main forest tree species specified in Appendix III attached to this Circular;

b) Quality management of varieties of the species listed in the list of main forest tree species shall be carried out according to the provisions of Article 7 of this Circular; it does not apply to varieties of species issued by the Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee.

Article 9. Export and import of forest tree varieties

1. The export and import of forest tree varieties listed in the List of Endangered, Precious, and Rare Forest Plants and the Appendices of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Wild Fauna and Flora shall be implemented in accordance with the regulations of the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development regarding the management of endangered, precious, and rare species, common wild animals, and the enforcement of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Wild Fauna and Flora.

2. Recognized forest tree varieties may be exported and imported in accordance with laws on trade and foreign trade management.

3. Unrecognized forest tree varieties may be exported and imported for research, testing, advertising, exhibitions, and international exchanges without commercial purposes and must obtain a permit.

4. Authority to issue permits:

a) The Forestry and Inspection Department shall issue permits for the export and import of forest tree varieties as stipulated in Clause 3 of this Article for organizations under the management of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development;

b) The Department of Agriculture and Rural Development shall issue permits for the export and import of forest tree varieties as stipulated in Clause 3 of this Article for organizations and individuals not covered by point a of this clause.

5. Documents required for applying for export and import permits for forest tree varieties include:

a) Original application for export and import permits for forest tree varieties according to Model No. 11 in Appendix I attached to this Circular;

b) Original variety history of the forest tree varieties proposed for export and import according to Model No. 12 in Appendix I attached to this Circular (each variety only needs to submit once when exporting or importing for the first time);

c) For the export of varieties, in addition to the documents specified in points a and b of this clause, organizations and individuals must attach one of the following documents:

A certified copy of the cooperation agreement in a foreign language accompanied by a Vietnamese translation certified by the translator's signature for export for research, testing, and international cooperation;

A certified copy of evidence of participation in trade fairs and exhibitions by the organizing unit for export to participate in trade fairs and exhibitions;

d) For the import of varieties, in addition to the documents specified in points a and b of this clause, organizations and individuals must attach one of the following documents:

Original or certified copy of technical design for variety testing and trial planting for import for testing and trial planting;

A certified copy of the cooperation agreement in a foreign language accompanied by a Vietnamese translation certified by the translator's signature for import under a cooperation agreement;

A certified copy of evidence of participation in trade fairs and exhibitions in Vietnam for import of forest tree varieties to participate in trade fairs and exhibitions;

Evidence of confirmation between both parties in a foreign language accompanied by a Vietnamese translation certified by the translator's signature for import of forest tree varieties as gifts;

A certified copy of the approval or consent document for investment programs or projects by competent state agencies or projects approved by enterprises in accordance with the law for import to implement investment programs and projects.

6. Implementation procedures:

a) Organizations and individuals shall submit one set of documents as stipulated in Clause 5 of this Article to the Forestry and Inspection Department or the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development where the organization is headquartered or the individual resides, for other organizations and individuals through direct submission at a One-Stop Service Center or via postal services or online at the National Public Service Portal.

The Forest Management Department and Forest Rangers or the Department of Agriculture and Environment shall immediately check and accept the file when it ensures completeness for files submitted directly; they shall check and accept within 01 working day for files submitted through public postal services or submitted online at the National Public Service Portal; in case the file components are not valid, they shall respond in writing and specify the reasons.

b) Within 04 working days from the date of receiving complete and valid files, the Forest Management Department and Forest Rangers or the Department of Agriculture and Environment shall organize the review and issue the export and import permit for forestry plant seeds according to Model No. 13 Appendix I issued together with this Circular; in case the permit is not issued, they shall notify in writing and specify the reasons.

7. The validity period of the export and import permit shall not exceed 12 months from the date of issuance.

8. In case the export and import permit for forestry plant seeds is lost or damaged, organizations and individuals may use the electronic version of the export and import permit for forestry plant seeds that has been issued.

Section 2

REPLACEMENT FOREST PLANTING

Article 10. General Provisions on Replacement Forest Planting

1. Principles:

a) The area subject to payment for replacement forest planting shall be implemented in accordance with Clause 2, Article 21 of the Forestry Law;

b) The area for implementing forest planting and encircling to promote natural regeneration must ensure that it is not lower than the area specified in Clause 1, Article 21 of the Forestry Law before other forest management measures can be carried out;

c) The locality where the project investor pays for replacement forest planting must carry out forest planting, encircling to promote natural regeneration, or supplementary planting, and other forest management measures (hereinafter referred to collectively as replacement forest planting); only propose transferring funds for replacement forest planting to another locality when there is no available land or there is available land but the conditions for establishing the site are unsuitable for replacement forest planting;

d) Forests formed from funds for replacement forest planting must be inspected and ensured to meet the quality standards for natural forests and planted forests, and managed in accordance with current laws.

2. Land for replacement forest planting:

a) For provinces and centrally-administered cities (hereinafter referred to as provinces), they must allocate land for replacement forest planting from the funds for replacement forest planting on their territory, including: planting forests on land designated for special-use forests and protective forests; planting forests on land designated for production forests allocated or leased to state-owned enterprises and other forest owners as stipulated in Clauses 1, 3, and 4, Article 8 of the Forestry Law; supporting the planting of production forests on land designated for household and individual production forests; implementing measures such as encircling to promote natural regeneration, supplementary planting during encircling to promote natural regeneration, nurturing forests, and enriching forests in accordance with regulations set by the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development;

b) For provinces receiving funds for replacement forest planting from other localities, they may only implement the planting of special-use forests, protective forests, and production forests on corresponding designated lands.

3. Funding for implementing replacement forest planting:

a) The Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee decides on the unit price or adjusts the unit price for replacement forest planting when necessary, based on economic and technical norms for forest planting as prescribed by the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, in accordance with local practical conditions. The issuance of the unit price must comply with legal provisions;

b) Funds for replacement forest planting paid by the project investor shall be deposited into the Provincial Forest Protection and Development Fund or the Department of Agriculture and Environment for localities that have not established a Provincial Forest Protection and Development Fund (hereinafter referred to as the Provincial Forest Protection and Development Fund) in accordance with Clause 3, Article 21 of the Forestry Law;

c) Replacement forest planting is a forest management work in projects required to pay for replacement forest planting under Clause 1, Article 21 of the Forestry Law. The design and budget for replacement forest planting shall be determined based on economic and technical norms as prescribed by the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development; the construction cost unit price for preparing the budget shall be based on the regulations of the locality where the replacement forest planting is organized. The establishment, review, approval of designs and budgets, and risk handling during the investment phase shall be carried out in accordance with Chapter IV of Decree No. 58/2024/NĐ-CP; acceptance shall be conducted in accordance with regulations set by the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development;

d) For funding for replacement forest planting to support the planting of production forests, support shall be provided according to the policy of the locality; for provinces that do not issue a support policy for planting forests, the current national policy shall apply.

4. Acceptance, management, use, and settlement of funding for replacement forest planting: shall be carried out in accordance with the Government's regulations on managing and using funds for replacement forest planting.

5. Selection of localities to receive funding for replacement forest planting from provinces without available land for replacement forest planting shall be based on the registration document for receiving funding for replacement forest planting signed by the Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee according to Model No. 01 Appendix IV issued together with this Circular. In case multiple localities register to receive funding, priority shall be given to localities with large areas of land not yet designated for special-use forests, protective forests, and production forests.

Article 11. Payment for Afforestation Compensation

1. Competent authority to settle:

a) The Chairman of the People's Committee of the province where the project is implemented;

b) In case of afforestation compensation at another locality: the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and the People's Committee of the province receiving the afforestation compensation shall cooperate.

2. Documents:

a) Original document requesting approval for payment for afforestation compensation according to Model No. 02 Appendix IV issued together with this Circular;

b) A copy of the document from the competent state agency approving the proposal and permitting matters related to the area required to pay for afforestation compensation as stipulated in Clause 1, Article 21 of the Forestry Law and other relevant documents (if any).

3. Implementation method:

a) The project investor submits one set of documents as prescribed in Clause 2 of this Article to the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of the locality where the project is implemented directly at the One-Stop Service Center or through public postal service or regular postal service or online at the National Public Service Portal;

b) The Department of Agriculture and Rural Development responds immediately to the validity of the document components for directly submitted documents; within one working day for documents submitted through public postal service or regular postal service or online at the National Public Service Portal, in case the documents are incomplete or invalid, they will be notified in writing and the reasons specified.

4. Within five working days from the date of receipt of valid documents, the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development proposes the Chairman of the People's Committee of the province to consider one of two cases: the Chairman of the People's Committee of the province approves payment for afforestation compensation at the local level or the Chairman of the People's Committee of the province issues a document requesting the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development to approve the implementation of afforestation compensation at another locality.

5. Case of payment for afforestation compensation at the locality where the project is implemented

a) Within three working days from the date of receipt of the proposal from the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, the Chairman of the People's Committee of the province considers and approves payment for afforestation compensation and notifies the project investor in writing about the approval of payment, time, and amount to be paid based on the area required for afforestation compensation and the provincial afforestation compensation unit price;

b) Within seven working days from the date of receipt of the document from the Chairman of the People's Committee of the province, the project investor pays the full amount for afforestation compensation into the Provincial Forest Protection and Development Fund;

c) Within three working days from the date of receipt of the full payment, the Provincial Forest Protection and Development Fund notifies the project investor in writing about the completion of the obligation to pay for afforestation compensation.

6. Case of implementation of afforestation compensation at another locality

a) Within three working days from the date of receipt of the proposal from the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, the Chairman of the People's Committee of the province issues a document requesting the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development to approve the arrangement for afforestation compensation at another locality according to Model No. 03 Appendix IV issued together with this Circular;

b) Within five working days from the date of receipt of the request document, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development issues a document requesting the Chairman of the People's Committee of the province receiving the afforestation compensation funding to provide information on location, area, and provincial afforestation compensation unit price at the time the project investor requests payment;

c) Within eight working days from the date of receipt of the request, the Chairman of the People's Committee of the province receiving the afforestation compensation funding issues a document confirming the allocation of area, type of forest, location, unit price, and funding along with Model No. 04 Appendix IV issued together with this Circular and a copy of the decision approving the provincial afforestation compensation unit price sent to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development;

d) Within three working days from the date of receipt of the document from the Chairman of the People's Committee of the province receiving the afforestation compensation, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development sends a document to the Chairman of the People's Committee of the province requesting payment regarding the arrangement for afforestation at another locality;

đ) Within three working days from the date of receipt of the document from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, the Provincial Forest Protection and Development Fund of the province requesting payment transfers the afforestation compensation payment to the Provincial Forest Protection and Development Fund of the province receiving the afforestation compensation;

e) Handling price difference for afforestation compensation (if any)

If the amount payable according to the unit price of the province receiving the compensation is higher than the amount already paid: the Chairman of the People's Committee of the province requesting payment notifies the project investor; within seven working days, the project investor must pay the additional amount.

If the amount payable according to the unit price of the province receiving the compensation is lower than the amount already paid: within seven working days from the date of receipt of the notification document, the Provincial Forest Protection and Development Fund of the province receiving the compensation refunds the difference and interest to the project investor.

7. After twelve months from the date the Chairman of the People's Committee of the province has issued a document approving payment for afforestation compensation, if the project investor does not implement or fully fulfill the financial obligations, the project investor must re-implement the procedures and formalities for payment for afforestation compensation as prescribed in this Article.

Article 12. Organizing Afforestation for Replacement

1. Afforestation, setting boundaries to promote natural regeneration and other forest management measures:

a) The Department of Agriculture and Environment shall advise the Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee to issue plans and assign forest owners specified in Clauses 1, 3, and 4 of Article 8 of the Forestry Law, state-owned enterprises, and other state agencies to carry out afforestation for replacement according to Model No. 05 attached as Appendix IV of this Circular; organize the review of design and budget estimates for afforestation replacement projects;

b) Units assigned to implement afforestation for replacement under Point a, Clause 1 of this Article shall organize the preparation and submission for approval of project designs and budgets, organize implementation, management, protection, and acceptance of completed afforestation replacement areas in accordance with this Circular and other relevant forestry laws;

2. Support for productive afforestation:

a) Eligible recipients for support: households and individuals who have a need for support in productive afforestation and commit to harvesting after meeting the criteria for large timber plantations as per Model No. 06 attached as Appendix IV of this Circular;

b) Content, level of support, conditions, and methods of support: support shall be implemented according to local policies; for provinces that do not issue supportive policies, the current national policy shall apply. Management, inspection, and acceptance costs shall be determined in the budget estimate of the assigned unit and approved by the competent authority;

c) The Department of Agriculture and Environment shall advise the Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee to assign specialized units at the provincial level or specialized departments under the Department of Agriculture and Environment or the People's Committee at the commune level to implement support for productive afforestation;

d) The assigned unit shall compile a list of eligible recipients, area, and support needs for productive afforestation according to Model No. 07 attached as Appendix IV of this Circular, submit it to the Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee for approval; organize support, manage, and utilize funds in accordance with current laws;

3. Reporting on Results of Afforestation for Replacement:

a) Units assigned to carry out afforestation for replacement and support for productive afforestation shall report in writing the results of afforestation for replacement to the Department of Agriculture and Environment for consolidation before November 30 each year;

b) The Department of Agriculture and Environment shall report to the Provincial People's Committee and the Forest and Inspection Service before December 20 each year on the results of implementing afforestation for replacement within the province according to Model No. 08 attached as Appendix IV of this Circular;

c) The provincial forest protection and development fund shall report to its supervisory agency before December 15 each year on the results of receiving and disbursing funding for afforestation for replacement submitted by project investors or received from other regions according to Model No. 09 attached as Appendix IV of this Circular.

Section 3

ISSUING AND MANAGING CODES FOR PRODUCTIVE FORESTS AS PLANTED FORESTS

Article 13. Principles for Issuing and Information on Codes

1. Principles

a) The process of issuing codes must ensure transparency, create favorable conditions for forest owners;

b) Codes can only be issued for productive forests as planted forests within the forestry plan; planted on legally used land of forest owners as stipulated by law;

c) Codes for productive forests as planted forests shall be issued based on the application of forest owners;

d) Encourage household, individual, community, and cooperative forest owners to apply for codes in groups with a minimum proposed code area of 100 hectares or more;

2. Codes for productive forests as planted forests include information about the forest owner; plot, compartment, sub-district forest number, village, province; area; type of planted tree, planting year, and geographic coordinates of the plot according to Model No. 01 attached as Appendix V of this Circular.

Article 14. Competence, Documents, and Procedures for Issuing, Reissuing, and Revoking Codes

1. Competence: The Forest Inspection Sub-Department or the specialized agency under the Department of Agriculture and Environment shall issue, reissue, and revoke codes (hereinafter referred to as the Code-Issuing Agency).

2. Application Documents for Issuing and Reissuing Codes:

a) An application for issuing a code according to Form No. 02 (for forest owners who are organizations) or Form No. 03 (for forest owners who are individuals, households, communities, groups of households, cooperatives) attached as Appendix V issued together with this Circular; in case of an application for reissuing a code according to Form No. 05 attached as Appendix V issued together with this Circular;

b) A power of attorney from the forest owner to the group leader according to Form No. 04 attached as Appendix V issued together with this Circular, in cases where the forest owner applies for issuing or reissuing a planting forest code on a group basis.

3. Procedure for Issuing Codes:

a) The forest owner or the authorized person submits one set of documents as stipulated in Clause 2 of this Article to the Code-Issuing Agency either directly at the One-Stop Service Center or through postal services or online at the National Public Service Portal;

b) The Code-Issuing Agency checks the documents and immediately responds regarding the validity of the document components for applications submitted directly; within one working day from the date of receiving applications submitted through postal services or online at the National Public Service Portal, if the document components are incomplete or invalid, it will notify in writing and specify the reasons;

c) Within ten working days from the date of receiving valid documents, the Code-Issuing Agency verifies information about the area of the forest applying for a code to ensure compliance with Clause 2 of Article 13 of this Circular; compares with the system monitoring changes in forest resources, if the information is consistent, it issues a code to the forest owner according to Form No. 01 attached as Appendix V issued together with this Circular; implements QR code attachment for each issued code and updates data for information retrieval.

In cases where the information about the area of the forest applying for a code is not synchronized with the system monitoring changes in forest resources, within five working days from the date of receiving valid documents, the Code-Issuing Agency notifies the forest owner or the authorized person submitting the application to verify and supplement information and documents and proceed to issue a code to the forest owner.

After verification, if the forest owner meets the conditions for issuing a code as stipulated in Clause 2 of Article 13 of this Circular, the Code-Issuing Agency proceeds to issue a code to the forest owner according to Form No. 01 attached as Appendix V issued together with this Circular and attaches a QR code for each issued code and updates data for information retrieval; if the forest owner does not meet the conditions for issuing a code as stipulated in Clause 2 of Article 13 of this Circular, the Code-Issuing Agency notifies in writing the forest owner and specifies the reasons.

4. The planting forest code is revoked when any of the following acts are discovered:

a) Within fifteen days from the date of change in the forest owner or changes in the forest area without notifying the Code-Issuing Agency;

b) The forest owner engages in fraudulent acts related to the code such as falsifying, altering, or modifying information on the code issuance certificate.

5. Procedure for Reissuing Codes:

a) The production forest planting code is reissued in the following cases: The code has been revoked due to violation of any of the acts stipulated in Clause 4 of this Article; discovery of inconsistent information about the area of the forest already coded with the system monitoring changes in forest resources;

b) The procedure for reissuing codes follows the provisions of Clause 3 of this Article.

Article 15. Management of Code Numbers

1. For forest owners:

The Forest Owner shall be responsible for managing the files and code numbers that have been issued; notify the Code Issuing Authority at the local level when there is a change in the Forest Owner, purpose of forest use, type of forest, area, or condition of the forest.

2. For the Code Issuing Authority:

a) Establish, receive, manage, and store files related to code numbers;

b) Update and manage information on code numbers based on databases for management purposes, tracing the origin of timber and forest products;

c) Timely update changes regarding the Forest Owner, type of forest, area of forest, and species of trees that have been assigned code numbers; synchronize with the system monitoring forest resource dynamics;

d) Publicize the list of issued code numbers and canceled code numbers on the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development's electronic portal; simultaneously send the list to the Forestry and Forest Protection Service for publication on their electronic portal.

Chapter III

AMENDMENTS AND SUPPLEMENTS TO SOME CIRCULARS IN THE FORESTRY AND FOREST PROTECTION SECTOR

Article 16. Amend and supplement Circular No. 29/2018/TT-BNNPTNT dated November 16, 2018, of the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development concerning forestry measures, which has been amended and supplemented by Circular No. 17/2022/TT-BNNPTNT dated October 27, 2022, of the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development amending and supplementing some articles of Circular No. 29/2018/TT-BNNPTNT and Circular No. 24/2024/TT-BNNPTNT dated December 12, 2024, of the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development amending and supplementing some articles of circulars in the forestry sector.

1. Amending and supplementing Clause 1 of Article 4 as follows:

"1. Objectives:

a) Areas not meeting the criteria for becoming forests: forests due to over-exploitation; abandoned swidden fields, after forest fires or deforestation, land with grassland, shrubs mixed with trees, and riverbank tidal flats, coastal areas with tree regeneration density reaching a height of more than 0.5 meters exceeding 500 trees/hectare; acid sulfate soil with tree regeneration density exceeding 1000 trees/hectare. Tree regeneration density distributed relatively evenly across the entire area or having gaps under 1000 meters.².”;

b) Areas of bamboo, reed, rattan, pine, lotus... (hereinafter referred to collectively as bamboo) after harvesting, after swidden fields, after forest fires or deforestation with coverage from 20% to less than 60% and capable of self-regeneration to become forests;"

2. Amend and supplement Point d Clause 2 Article 10 as follows:

"d) Planting density: depending on specific conditions of each protective forest and selecting tree species to determine appropriate planting density, ensuring the planting density of the main tree species is 500 trees/hectare or more;"

Article 17. Amend and supplement some Articles of Circular No. 20/2023/TT-BNNPTNT dated December 15, 2023, of the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development concerning methods for valuing forests; guiding the framework price of forests, which has been amended and supplemented by Circular No. 16/2025/TT-BNNMT dated June 19, 2025, of the Minister of Agriculture and Environment concerning decentralization, delegation, and determination of state management authority and some contents in the forestry and forest protection sector.

1. Amend and supplement Point d Clause 1 Article 8 as follows:

"d) State budget funds and other lawful sources of income."

2. Supplement Clause 3 after Clause 2 Article 10 as follows:

"3. In cases where forests are leased without auction, the lease price shall not be lower than the price determined according to the formula stipulated in Clause 1 of this Article."

Article 18. Amend and supplement certain contents of Circular No. 05/2024/TT-BNNPTNT dated April 19, 2024, issued by the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development on economic and technical norms for forest surveys, which has been amended and supplemented by Circular No. 16/2025/TT-BNNMT dated June 19, 2025, issued by the Minister of Agriculture and Environment on decentralization, delegation, and determination of state management authority and certain contents in the forestry and forest protection sector.

1. Amend Clause 3 of Section 2 Part I Appendix as follows:

"- Clause 3: hazardous and dangerous job allowance according to Circular No. 11/2020/TT-BLDTBXH dated November 12, 2020, issued by the Minister of Labor, Invalids, and Social Affairs promulgating the List of Occupations and Jobs with Heavy, Hazardous, and Dangerous Conditions: field survey work allowance for forest investigation under labor conditions type IV applies at level K4 = 0.2."

2. Amend formula P9 of Section 3 Part I Appendix as follows:

"- P9: machinery and equipment costs for forest surveys not exceeding 5% of total labor costs including: preparation work costs, fieldwork costs, inspection and acceptance costs for fieldwork, campsite costs, internal work costs, inspection and acceptance costs for internal work, service costs, and management costs of the implementing unit.

P9 ≤ (P1 + P2 + P3 + P4 + P5 + P6 + P7 + P8) * 5%."

3. Amend formula P10 of Section 3 Part I Appendix as follows:

"- P10: material and tool costs, electricity, water, communication costs not exceeding 5% of total labor costs including: preparation work costs, fieldwork costs, inspection and acceptance costs for fieldwork, campsite costs, internal work costs, inspection and acceptance costs for internal work, service costs, and management costs of the implementing unit.

P10 ≤ (P1 + P2 + P3 + P4 + P5 + P6 + P7 + P8) * 5%."

Article 19. Amend and supplement certain Articles of Circular No. 11/2024/TT-BNNPTNT dated September 4, 2024, issued by the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development on economic and technical norms for forest inventories and monitoring, which has been amended and supplemented by Circular No. 16/2025/TT-BNNMT dated June 19, 2025, issued by the Minister of Agriculture and Environment on decentralization, delegation, and determination of state management authority and certain contents in the forestry and forest protection sector.

1. Amend the opening paragraph of Clause 1 Article 5 as follows:

"1. The Forest Management and Protection Department shall take the lead and coordinate with relevant units:"

2. Replace Appendix I with Appendix VI promulgated together with this Circular.

3. Replace Appendix II with Appendix VII promulgated together with this Circular.

Article 20. Amend and supplement certain Articles of Circular No. 26/2025/TT-BNNMT dated June 24, 2025, issued by the Minister of Agriculture and Environment on forest product management; handling of forest products and aquatic products that have established public ownership rights.

1. Amending and supplementing some clauses of Article 3 as follows:

a) Amend and supplement Clause 6 as follows:

"6. Raw wood includes roundwood; sawn timber, planed timber after smoothing process; plywood, industrial panels, wood pulp, wood fiber, and commonly processed wood used for producing wooden products."

b) Amend and supplement Clause 9 as follows:

"9. A forest product inventory list is a detailed declaration and description of information about: raw wood, wooden products, large trees; non-timber forest products; wild animals, wild animal products; non-timber forest products; wild animals, wild animal products, non-timber forest products, and products of non-timber forest products belonging to endangered, precious, and rare species, and CITES Appendices. The forest product inventory list does not apply to forestry crop seeds and aquatic species listed in CITES Appendices."

c) Add Clause 15 following Clause 14 as follows:

"15. Commonly processed wood refers to wood after harvesting, processed through initial stages (cutting, sawing, splitting, peeling, or slicing boards, grinding, crushing), but without changing the nature of the wood, aimed at creating raw materials or semi-finished products for further processing, production of wooden products, subsequent trading, or facilitating transportation, storage, and preservation. Commonly processed wood includes: rough sawn timber, rough peeled timber with unsmooth surfaces, not yet planed or finished; peeled or sliced timber not yet pressed into plywood or other types of industrial panels; wood chips (chips, ground chips) and by-products generated during processing such as: sawdust, bark, ends, corn husks, and planed chips."

2. Amend and supplement some points and clauses of Article 5 as follows:

a) Amend and supplement Point h of Clause 6 as follows:

"h) Original Record of Entry and Exit of Forest Products for forest product owners who are organizations or business households selling forest products according to Model No. 04 of Appendix II promulgated together with this Circular for cases where forest products are forest plants; Original Record of Breeding and Cultivation for owners of breeding facilities for endangered, precious, and rare species, wild animals, and plants listed in CITES Appendices; Record of Production and Processing Activities for endangered, precious, and rare species, wild animals, and plants listed in CITES Appendices for production and processing facilities as stipulated by the Minister of Agriculture and Environment's regulations on managing endangered, precious, and rare species, common wild animals, and enforcing the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora."

b) Amend and supplement Point c of Clause 7 as follows:

"c) Within two working days from receiving valid files, the local Forest Protection Agency shall confirm the Forest Product Inventory List and stock of forest products in accordance with Point h of Clause 6 of this Article, for cases where paper files are submitted;

In cases requiring verification of the origin of forest products within one working day from receiving valid files, the local Forest Protection Agency shall notify the forest product owner about the verification; within two working days from the notification date, the local Forest Protection Agency shall conduct verification, prepare the Verification Report according to Model No. 05 of Appendix II promulgated together with this Circular, and complete confirmation of the Forest Product Inventory List while recording stock of forest products in accordance with Point h of Clause 6 of this Article; in complex cases, verification and confirmation shall be completed within three working days. If confirmation is not made, it shall be replied in writing with reasons provided;"

3. Amend and supplement some points and clauses of Article 6 as follows:

a) Amend and supplement Clause 1 as follows:

"1. Develop logging plans:"

a) The forest owner or the timber owner or an organization or individual authorized by the competent authority to assign or delegated by the forest owner to build or hire consultants to develop the logging plan;

b) The specialized agency under the People's Committee at the commune level or an organization authorized by the competent authority to build or hire consultants to develop the logging plan for the forest area where the State is the representative owner but has not yet been assigned or leased, currently managed by the People's Committee at the commune level;

c) The content of the logging plan shall be implemented according to Model No. 07 Appendix II issued together with this Circular for organizations or Model No. 08 Appendix II issued together with this Circular for households, individuals, and community residents;

b) Amend and supplement the opening clause of Clause 5 as follows:

“5. The dossier for approving the plan for utilizing and harvesting natural wood from natural forests, production forests planted by the State as the representative owner, protective forests, and special-use forests planted by the State; non-timber forest products from special-use forests planted by the State; non-timber forest products from natural special-use forests of organizations, households, individuals, and community residents shall be carried out in accordance with point a and point b of Clause 4 of this Article and a copy of one of the following documents:”;

c) Amend and supplement point a of Clause 6 as follows:

“a) The forest owner, the timber owner, or an organization or individual authorized by the competent authority to assign or delegated by the forest owner to authorize or the specialized agency under the People's Committee at the commune level (hereinafter referred to as the organization or individual submitting the dossier) shall submit directly or through postal services or electronic environment one set of dossier corresponding to each case of logging specified in Clause 4 and Clause 5 of this Article to the competent authority for approving the logging plan as stipulated in Clause 3 of this Article. In cases of submitting the dossier through the electronic environment, it shall be carried out in accordance with the laws on implementing administrative procedures in the electronic environment.”;

d) Amend and supplement the opening clause of Clause 7 as follows:

“7. For cases of logging production forests planted by the State, trees planted outside the forestry planning, household garden wood, scattered tree planting invested by the forest owner, timber owner, or supported by the State; non-timber forest products in protective forests, production forests: the forest owner, the timber owner, or an organization or individual authorized by the forest owner, timber owner to build the logging plan in accordance with point c of Clause 1 of this Article, shall not need to submit to the competent authority for approval. Implement the logging process in accordance with Clause 9 of this Article.”;

đ) Amend and supplement Clause 9 as follows:

“9. Implement the logging of wood and non-timber forest products:

a) Before logging: the forest owner or the timber owner or an organization or individual authorized by the competent authority to assign logging or delegated by the forest owner to authorize shall send one set of dossier including a copy of the decision and the logging plan that have been approved for cases requiring approval of the logging plan as stipulated in Clause 2 and point a of Clause 8 of this Article or one original logging plan for cases not requiring approval of the logging plan as stipulated in Clause 7 and point b of Clause 8 of this Article to the local Forest Protection Department for supervision during implementation;

b) After logging: within five working days from the completion of logging, the forest owner, the timber owner, or an organization or individual authorized by the competent authority to assign logging or delegated by the forest owner to authorize shall send the original inventory list of forest products to the local Forest Protection Department for tracking or confirmation of the inventory list of forest products for cases stipulated in Clause 3 of Article 5 of this Circular.”;

4. Amend and supplement Clause 2 of Article 12 as follows:

“2. For non-timber forest products; common wild animals; wild animals belonging to endangered, precious, rare species or listed in CITES:

a) A copy or electronic version of the customs declaration in accordance with the laws on customs;

b) For non-timber forest products, wild animals belonging to endangered, precious, rare species or listed in CITES: a copy or electronic version of the CITES export permit or re-export permit issued by the Vietnamese CITES Management Authority;

c) For common wild animals: the original inventory list of forest products with the confirmation of the local Forest Protection Department;

d) For non-timber forest products belonging to common forest plants: the original inventory list of forest products or the inventory list of forest products with the confirmation of the local Forest Protection Department for cases where the timber owner requests confirmation in accordance with point đ of Clause 3 of Article 5 of this Circular.”;

5. Amend and supplement some points and clauses of Article 13 as follows:

a) Amend and supplement Point a Clause 2 as follows:

“a) For breeding facilities of endangered, precious, rare species; CITES Appendices: facility code or Certificate of Biodiversity Conservation Facility issued by the competent state authority for biodiversity conservation facilities, except in cases not required to register facility codes in accordance with the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development’s regulations on managing endangered, precious, rare species, common wild animals, and implementing the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora;”;

b) Amending and supplementing Point a Clause 3 as follows:

“a) Facility code or Certificate of Biodiversity Conservation Facility issued by the competent state authority for biodiversity conservation facilities, except in cases not required to register facility codes in accordance with the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development’s regulations on managing endangered, precious, rare species, common wild animals, and implementing the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora;”

6. Amend and supplement some points and clauses of Article 14 as follows:

a) Amend and supplement Clause 1 as follows:

“1. Objects to be marked:

a) Finished products produced or processed from CITES Appendix I animals originating from captive-bred F2 generations or later at breeding facilities that have been assigned a code by the CITES Secretariat or endangered, precious, rare wild animals belonging to Group IB, Group IIB, or CITES Appendices II and III originating from captive-bred F2 generations or later of legitimate breeding facilities or legally imported when selling, transferring ownership, or transporting;

b) Live wild animal individuals belonging to the mammal class at breeding facilities or biodiversity conservation facilities, including: species belonging to endangered, precious, rare wild animals Group IB or CITES Appendix I.”;

"a) Deposits of microfinance organizations at credit institutions, branches of foreign banks, except deposits at credit institutions under special control according to Clause 9, Article 174 of the Law on Credit Institutions;"

"a) Live animals marked with chips, collars, tags, or transmitters. Products of animals specified in point a of Clause 1 of this Article shall be marked with labels, serial numbers, barcodes, QR codes, or other materials (hereinafter referred to collectively as marking labels). The marking label contains information as prescribed in Clause 3 of this Article;"

7. Amend and supplement the name of Article and Clause 2 of Article 22 as follows:

a) Amend and supplement the name as follows:

"Article 22. Storage of forest products, animals, plants belonging to endangered, precious, rare species, Appendices of CITES which are evidence or exhibits during temporary custody or assets voluntarily transferred ownership rights to the State by organizations or individuals"

b) Amend and supplement Clause 2 as follows:

"2. In cases where the custodial agency or the agency receiving according to points a and b of Clause 1 of Article 21 of this Circular does not have conditions for breeding and storing forest products; animals, plants belonging to endangered, precious, rare species or Appendices of CITES, aquatic species belonging to Appendix I of CITES, such forest products, animals, and plants shall temporarily be handed over to specialized management agencies or facilities that have sufficient conditions for breeding and storing until a decision on handling is made by the competent authority; the temporary handover of forest products, animals, and plants belonging to endangered, precious, rare species, Appendices of CITES, aquatic species belonging to Appendix I of CITES must be recorded in a Handover and Receipt Record according to Model No. 22 in Appendix II issued together with this Circular;"

8. Amend and supplement some points and clauses of Article 23 as follows:

a) Amend and supplement the opening clause of Clause 4 as follows:

"4. Transfer to agencies or units managing and using non-endangered, precious, rare Group I wood, Appendix I of CITES:"

b) Amend and supplement Point a of Clause 4 as follows:

"a) The main managing agency of assets publicly announces the quantity, volume, type of wood to be transferred according to Model No. 23A in Appendix II issued together with this Circular at its office and on the website of the People's Committee of the province. The announcement period shall not exceed ten days from the date of the confiscation decision, administrative violation penalty decision, or the result of appraisal, inspection, testing, or opinion of specialized agencies, or within the time limit prescribed in Clause 6 of Article 4 of Decree No. 77/2025/NĐ-CP;"

Agencies or units requiring the use of confiscated wood for constructing offices, forming machinery and equipment for state agencies, building public works serving people's needs such as public health facilities, public educational facilities, public cultural and sports centers, religious and belief facilities shall submit a written request to receive the asset being wood according to Model No. 23 in Appendix II issued together with this Circular to the main managing agency of assets;"

9. Amend and supplement point a of Clause 1 of Article 25 as follows:

"a) For animals listed in CITES Appendix with foreign origin that have been confiscated, they shall be handled in accordance with the regulations of the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development on the management of endangered, precious, rare species, common wild animals, and the enforcement of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora;"

10. Amend and supplement some clauses of Article 27 as follows:

a) Amend and supplement Clause 1 as follows:

"1. Object: live wild animals; aquatic species listed in Appendix I of CITES that are evidence or exhibits or voluntarily transferred ownership rights to the State by their owners;"

b) Amending and supplementing Point a Clause 3 as follows:

"a) The head of the agency or unit with the authority issues a rescue decision;"

c) Supplement point d after point c of Clause 4 as follows:

"d) In case of reproduction during the rescue process: the rescue facility, conservation facility is responsible for nurturing and caring for the offspring and immediately notify the local forest protection agency in writing within three days from the date of reproduction, specifying the species and number of individuals born.

Individuals born during the rescue process shall be managed in accordance with the regulations of the rescue facility, conservation facility, and relevant laws. The rescue facility and conservation facility shall decide on continuing to keep, release back into the natural environment, transfer to research organizations, training, and environmental education institutions in one of the forms prescribed in points a and c, Clause 2, Article 25 of this Circular, or destroy in cases where animals are diseased and have the potential to cause dangerous epidemics, as provided for in point d, Clause 2, Article 25 of this Circular.

The rescue facility and conservation facility shall decide on continuing to keep, release animals back into the natural environment, transfer to research, training, and environmental education organizations, or destroy them in accordance with the provisions.

11. Amend and supplement point a of Clause 5 of Article 32 as follows:

"a) Aggregate and retain information on the situation of logging, import, export of forest products; handling of forest products, wild animals; animals, plants belonging to endangered, precious, rare species or Appendices of CITES, except aquatic species within the provincial territory; organize inspections, supervision, traceability of forest product origins in accordance with this Circular;"

12. Amend and supplement point c of Clause 4 of Article 33 as follows:

"c) In cases where enterprises processing and exporting timber have submitted classification enterprise files before the effective date of Clause 2 of this Article but have not yet been classified or are still implementing classification assessments, they shall continue to follow the provisions of Circular No. 21/2021/TT-BNNPTNT dated December 29, 2021, issued by the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development on the classification of timber processing and exporting enterprises;"

13. Supplement Model No. 23A after Model No. 23 in Appendix II at Appendix IX issued together with this Circular.

14. Replace the phrase "forest products," with the phrase "forest products, wild animals;" in Clauses 4, 5, and 6 of Article 1; "Vietnamese CITES Management Authority" with the phrase "Vietnamese CITES Competent Authority" in point b of Clause 2 of Article 9, point b of Clause 1 of Article 12.

15. Replace the phrase "Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development on the management of endangered, precious, rare species; breeding common wild animals and enforcing the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora" with the phrase "Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development on the management of endangered, precious, rare species, common wild animals and enforcing the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora" in points b, c, and d of Clause 2 of Article 9; point d of Clause 1, point d of Clause 2, and point d of Clause 3 of Article 13; point a of Clause 2 of Article 23.

16. Replace Forms No. 01, 07, 08, 09, and 11 in Appendix II with Forms No. 01, 07, 08, 09, and 11 in Appendix VIII issued together with this Circular.

17. Replace the phrase "List of endangered, precious, and rare species" with the phrase "endangered, precious, and rare species" in Clause 2, Clause 4, Clause 5, and Clause 6 Article 1; Clause 7 and Clause 8 Article 3; Clause 7 Article 4; Point c and Point d Clause 3 and Clause 9 Article 5; Clause 4, Point a Clause 5 and Clause 6 Article 8; Point b Clause 1 Article 12; the name of Article 13, the opening sentence of Clause 1, Point đ Clause 1 and the opening sentence of Clause 3 Article 13; Point d Clause 3 Article 15; the name of Chapter IV and the name of Section 1 Chapter IV; the name of Article 21, Point b Clause 1 and Point b Clause 3 Article 21; Clause 1 Article 22; Point a and Point b Clause 3 and the opening sentence of Clause 4 Article 23; Point b Clause 1 and Point d Clause 2 Article 25; Point a Clause 1 Article 28; Clause 1 Article 29; Point b Clause 2 and Point a Clause 6 Article 32; Point a Clause 4 Article 33.

Chapter IV

IMPLEMENTATION

Article 21. Responsibility for Implementation

1. The Forest Management Department and Forest Protection Department

a) Organize propaganda, dissemination, and guidance for localities to implement this Circular;

b) Conduct inspections on agencies, organizations, and individuals regarding their implementation of the provisions of this Circular throughout the country.

2. Departments of Agriculture and Environment of provinces and centrally-administered cities

a) Organize propaganda, dissemination, and guidance for commune-level authorities, forest owners, organizations, and individuals within their jurisdiction about the contents of this Circular;

b) Direct the agency issuing forest production code numbers for planted forests and related agencies to organize the issuance and management of forest production code numbers for planted forests at the local level in accordance with this Circular.

Article 22. Implementation Provisions

1. This Circular takes effect from January 1, 2026.

2. The following provisions shall cease to be effective from the date this Circular takes effect:

a) Circular No. 22/2021/TT-BNNPTNT dated December 29, 2021, issued by the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development stipulating the list of major forestry tree species; recognition of forestry tree varieties and sources; Article 3 of Circular No. 22/2023/TT-BNNPTNT dated December 15, 2023, issued by the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development amending and supplementing certain articles of circulars in the forestry sector;

b) Chapter II, Articles 21, 22, and 23, Section 3 Chapter III, Appendices I and II of Circular No. 16/2025/TT-BNNMT dated June 19, 2025, issued by the Minister of Agriculture and Environment stipulating the delegation, decentralization, and determination of state management authority and certain contents in the forestry and forest protection sector.

3. Replace the phrase "Items 26, 31, 45, 50, and 51 Item I" with the phrase "Items 26, 31, 50, and 51 Item I" in Point b Clause 4 Article 27 of Circular No. 16/2025/TT-BNNMT dated June 19, 2025, issued by the Minister of Agriculture and Environment stipulating the delegation, decentralization, and determination of state management authority and certain contents in the forestry and forest protection sector.

4. In cases where the legal normative documents cited in this Circular are amended, supplemented, or replaced, they shall be applied according to the amended, supplemented, or replacing documents.

Article 23. Transitional Provisions

1. Organizations and individuals whose administrative procedures have been accepted by competent state agencies or authorized persons before January 1, 2026, but have not yet received results shall continue to be processed according to the law in effect at the time of acceptance, except when the organization or individual requests processing according to this Circular.

2. Documents, permits, certificates that are the results of administrative procedures issued by agencies or authorized persons before January 1, 2026, and which have not expired or have not reached their expiration date shall continue to be used according to the validity period stated on the documents, permits, or certificates.

In cases where organizations and individuals request amendments, supplements, reissuance, or extension of documents, permits, or certificates, they shall submit a request to the competent agency or authorized person as stipulated in this Circular for resolution.

3. Project investors who have had replanting plans approved or received approval letters for payment of replanting fees from competent authorities before this Circular takes effect shall implement according to Circular No. 16/2025/TT-BNNMT dated June 19, 2025, issued by the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment stipulating the delegation, decentralization, and determination of state management authority and certain contents in the forestry and forest protection sector. For project investors who have received approval letters for payment of replanting fees more than 12 months ago but have not paid the replanting fees, they must follow the procedures and formalities for paying replanting fees as stipulated in this Circular.

4. Project investors who have replanting plans not yet approved or have not received approval letters for payment of replanting fees from competent authorities before this Circular takes effect shall implement according to this Circular.

5. For replanting costs paid by project investors into the provincial forest protection and development fund but not yet planned, detailed, or utilized before this Circular takes effect, such funds may be used for replanting, encircling to promote natural regeneration, or supplementary planting and other forest management measures. The Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee shall organize replanting in accordance with this Circular, ensuring that the replanting area, encircled area to promote natural regeneration, or supplementary planting area is not less than the area paid by project investors.

6. In cases where logging plans for timber and non-timber forest products have been approved before this Circular takes effect but have not yet commenced or are ongoing, they shall continue to be implemented according to Circular No. 26/2025/TT-BNNMT dated June 24, 2025, issued by the Minister of Agriculture and Environment stipulating the management of forest products and the handling of forest and aquatic products as national assets.

7. Programs and projects applying economic and technical standards for forest surveys, inventories, and monitoring that were approved before this Circular takes effect shall continue to be implemented until completion. If programs and projects need adjustment after this Circular takes effect, the economic and technical standards for forest surveys, inventories, and monitoring stipulated in this Circular shall apply.

During the implementation of this Circular, if there are any difficulties, agencies, organizations, and individuals shall promptly report to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development for review and amendment.